


a small wish that i dreamed of

by waswastxt (earlieststar)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (bongshik seol and nal are jeno's cats by the way), Fluff, M/M, Merry Christmas!!!!!!!, Slice of Life, bongshik seol and nal too!!!!, its Sweet okay, jeno's mother father and grandmother make an appearance, so much fluff oh my god, there are ugly holiday sweaters and dinner in family and snow and Bed Sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 05:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17136251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlieststar/pseuds/waswastxt
Summary: He knows he should be content with what he has. Jeno is his best friend. They live together. They study together. When Jeno knew that Donghyuck would not be able to go back home for Christmas, he offered his childhood house. It was easy, and obvious.





	a small wish that i dreamed of

**Author's Note:**

> this was really fun to write and to create! it was such a sweet note to end this hectic semester ive been through and i hope everyone who reads this fic can enjoy it as much as i did writing!!!  
> title is from loona's the carol :D  
> also this was not beta-ed by anyone at all and i apologize for any mistakes!!!!!

“Hyuck! How lovely to see you!,” Jeno’s mother exclaims as soon as she opens the door, pulling him for a tight hug. “You’ve grown so much since last time I saw you, it’s been so long.”

He smiles, letting her smooth out his hair, “It really has.” It’s probably been quite a few years, come to think of it. He basically lived in Jeno’s house during high school, but when college started and they moved into the dorm, the visits stopped. “I missed you, auntie. Jeno never invites me over anymore,” he pouts, and sees Jeno trying to hide his blush under his scarf. Donghyuck pokes him where he knows from years of experience that will tickle.

Jeno’s mother smiles at them, makes way for them to get away from the cold and into the warm house, talking dramatically about how her son has grown into a man too independent for his family. It’s all in good fun, they know, and when they arrive at the living room, she looks at them sweetly and tells them to wait there. She leaves, possibly to get hot chocolate, and they make themselves comfortable on the sofa.

Few has changed from the last time Donghyuck was there - the photos on top of the fireplace are the same of 5-year-old-Jeno smiling with a trophy of the Spelling Bee on his hand, next to one of Jeno’s parents’ marriage and of baby Jeno on the lap of his grandmother, mouth full of cookies and hands dirty with dough, the woman laughing heartily at his grandson’s antics; the pictures on the walls are the drawing Donghyuck remembers they made on third grade, and a painting Jeno’s father made of their cats all sleeping on the very sofa they are sitting; the carpet is still the same and the walls are the same color Donghyuck remembers it has always been and even the socks hanging on the fireplace are the same old red fabric, and he can see everyone’s names on there, even his own and Jaemin’s and Renjun’s. The three cats of the house start coming from different parts of the house, probably smelling Jeno’s presence, and really the only thing that changed is that they are a little bit older now and have a little more knowledge about calculus since last time they were around.

Oh, and also that Donghyuck is desperately, secretly, absolutely in love with Jeno. You know, not a big deal.

He looks at Jeno, with Seol and Nal already cuddling on his lap and Bongshik perched on the arm of the couch. He looks soft, ugly christmas sweater cozy and thick, hand-knitted by his grandmother, and he looks immensely happy, in his childhood home, with his beloved cats, smiling wide and cooing at the animals. His voice is lower than it was when they were kids and Donghyuck sometimes is taken by surprise by how adult it sounds, how lovely.

He knows he should be content with what he has. Jeno is his best friend. They live together. They study together. They get back from parties at 4am on a Thursday and take turns patting each other’s back when they have to throw up. Jeno cooks all their meals because he knows Donghyuck can’t be trusted to make lunch (but he makes the best oatmeal cookies and those are Jeno’s favorite). Donghyuck always tidies up their room after Jeno’s late hours on the library, because he knows he is tired from classes and work (and Jeno’s tired smile as Donghyuck tucks him in and takes off his shoes is one of his most favorite, because it’s only his). When Jeno knew that Donghyuck would not be able to go back home for Christmas, he offered his childhood house. It was easy, and obvious. 

Donghyuck should be satisfied because Jeno is one of the most amazing people in the entire planet and he is lucky to even have met him, let alone be his friend. And here he is, in Jeno’s house, in his sofa, with Jeno’s feet in his lap and listening to Jeno giggle at his cats while Jeno’s mother brings them hot chocolate, wearing a jumper that Jeno’s grandmother had hand-knitted for him, had sent with Jeno’s own. He never even stood a chance of not loving Jeno.

He sighs, is met with Jeno’s tilted head and confused smile and just shakes his head, like it’s nothing. He should be content with what he has, because he’s Jeno’s best friend, and that should be enough. It is, but it also isn’t. It’s going to be a long night.

 

Dinner is loud, and joyful, and, well, Christmas. There are a lot of questions about how college’s going, how’s life turning for them alone in the city, (Jeno’s grandmother asks about significant others and Jeno just blushes and laughs it off), but it’s peaceful. They eat very good food and Nal sleeps on Donghyuck’s feet. Jeno’s father tells many stories about work, because he’s a teacher at a local elementary school and children have delightful minds and some insane antics.

They basically only drink hot chocolate, even tho it cannot be a healthy decision, but “it’s Christmas, we are allowed to be children tonight,” Jeno says, and he won’t argue with that.

In the middle of dinner, Donghyuck’s mom calls and he answers on speaker so all the Lees can exchange ‘Merry Christmas’es more efficiently. “Take care of my son well, Jeno, I’m trusting him to you in this holiday!,” his mother says, and Jeno smiles bright even tho she can’t see it, answers, “leave it to me, auntie! I’m gonna take good care of him!.”

Donghyuck blushes, just slightly, but it’s only because of the cold, okay? It’s totally not because of the way Jeno hangs up and hands Donghyuck his phone, then leans heavily onto him, sleepy from all the food eaten and all the warmth received, and snuggles close.

 

Afterwards, when dinner ends, Jeno’s mother tells them that she will make Donghyuck’s bed, and they mechanically take the plates to the kitchen. Jeno’s father is washing the dishes while they put away the food in tupperwares previously prepared. Jeno’s grandmother has taken to knitting in the living room, Seol playing with the yarn as it moves while the other two nap unbothered on the couch.

It’s domestic and Donghyuck is happy and sated. Jeno keeps leaning on him, transferring all his weight onto Donghyuck and it should be dangerous because he’s not the only one ready to embark in dreamland and they might end both toppling over and falling. Donghyuck slips a hand to hold Jeno’s waist, lets his head rest on top of Jeno’s so as to even out some of the weight. It’s warm. Jeno nuzzles his neck and Donghyuck never wants to leave.

 

At some point they settled in bed, though Donghyuck doesn’t remember how (too sleepy to care), but now it’s 2am and he wakes up to the sound of rain hitting the window. Or, well, snow.

He’s on a mattress on the floor, right beside Jeno’s bed and he feels like they are 12 year olds again having a sleepover. He can hear Jeno stirring awake, because Jeno somehow always knows when Donghyuck wakes up in the middle of the night. “Hyuck?,” he sounds groggy, voice lower and rougher from sleep.

“Hey,” and then there’s Jeno’s face looking down at him through semi closed eyes.

“‘at you doing awake?”

“Heard the rain,” he says and Jeno’s hand slides down the side of the bed towards him.

He grabs it and laces his fingers with Jeno’s, and would be content to just hold his hand until they sleep again, but then Jeno’s pulling. “Come here,” he says and he sounds a little more awake.

They used to do this all the time when they were kids. Donghyuck never liked sleeping alone, especially not when it was raining, and Jeno had plushies on his bed until he was 15. They don’t do this often anymore, but even in college sometimes they cuddle, even if it’s usually for quicker naps or because they fall into the couch after classes and gravitate towards each other in unconscious move. At this point, Donghyuck doesn’t need to be told twice, just puts his other hand on Jeno’s mattress and lifts himself onto the bed, slipping under the covers with Jeno’s help.

Somehow, in the middle of that, they are still holding hands.

The moonlight from the open window hits Jeno’s face in the most beautiful way, his hair fluffy thrown messily on the pillow, a little too long. There’s a snowflake on the glass that’s making a shadow on the tip of Jeno’s nose. His eyes are half closed and he’s breathing calmly, Donghyuck thinks he even already fell asleep again. 

He can’t explain what compels him to kiss Jeno’s forehead, but he does and when he pulls back Jeno’s eyes are fully open, and staring right at Donghyuck. He hasn’t seen Jeno that serious in quite a bit of time. 

“Hyuck…,” and Donghyuck gulps, makes a noncommittal noise in his throat, but then Jeno is pulling him closer and closer and suddenly their noses are so close that the shadow disappeared and when Jeno whispers Donghyuck’s name the next time it’s against Donghyuck’s lips. Jeno’s lips are soft. “Hyuck… Can I give you this gift?,” he says and his voice is small, careful. “Just this once, and if you don’t like it, it’s okay.”

And it doesn’t make sense, because they’ve kissed various times when they were drunk before, or in parties, or in games in friends’ reunions. But Donghyuck knows this is different and he can’t pinpoint how this is different from all those times, but maybe it’s the look in Jeno’s eyes, or the way he’s holding Donghyuck’s hand, or how he can feel Jeno’s heartbeat is fast, because it synced with his own. And he’s nodding, and Jeno’s closing his eyes, and they are kissing.

They press together and Jeno’s lips are opening his so sweetly, so softly and they kiss slowly to the sound of the snow beating down on Jeno’s window. A cold, unsocked foot rubs against Donghyuck’s ankle and then he’s giggling into Jeno’s mouth, and Jeno’s smiling too. It becomes less of a kiss and more of a shared laughter, quiet and happy.

Jeno opens his eyes and there’s a twinkle there that looks so pretty. Donghyuck kisses his nose, just to see him scrunch his face cutely, because he can. “I love your gift, Jeno,” he says, and then, mustering the courage he still has, clinging onto Jeno’s soft pajamas like a lifeline, murmuring almost inaudibly, covered by the intimacy of the late night, “and I love you.”

He doesn’t know what Jeno’s answer is to that, because what Jeno does is kiss him again, is untangle their hands just so he can pull Donghyuck closer so they can tangle their legs, snuggle with their entire bodies, is sigh a sweet nothing into Donghyuck’s mouth. When they part, he buries his face in Donghyuck’s neck and murmurs a ‘me too’ that Donghyuck almost ( _ almost _ ) doesn’t catch. It doesn’t come as a surprise, because nothing with Jeno has ever felt out of place. They are best friends and they live together and they go to parties and take care of each other and Jeno cooks for him and Donghyuck takes off his shoes when he’s too tired from work and Jeno’s grandmother _knitted Donghyuck an ugly holiday sweater_ and Donghyuck loves Jeno. Jeno loves Donghyuck too. It’s easy, kind of obvious.

“Merry Christmas,” Donghyuck whispers, a little bit breathless, and he can’t help how he sounds like a kid who just won a lifetime supply of candy. Jeno is sweeter than any sugar and he doesn’t plan on letting him go anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> it's short but sweet and i hope you like it <3 thank you and i hope it was soft enough for you!!!! i tried my best!!!!  
> also, its been quite a long time since i last appeared here, and i dont have any excuse for that but hopefully ill be able to sort things out during the break and come back fully to this wonderful fandom <3


End file.
